I feel like it was film ahead of its time…. Not only is the subject taboo, it’s immoral and while these are great story springboards, I feel like the film alienated its audience because it was so “out there” in its delivery… It’s a film that would go over well in today’s society but out from under the Hollywood banner… perhaps Studio Canal since she might have some ties there? I think the legal battles that were among the films release also had much to do with its failure at the box office. I find it interesting tho as this Lynch tends to make the female the hero, a complete 180 from her father’s POV. One just cannot predict an audience… it was a gamble and it didn’t pay off at the time. Looking forward to Surveillance.
The other major problem with Boxing Helena was casting—- Julian Sands, terrible. The guy’s a giant Ken doll, a badly strung puppet, a crash test dummy with an upper middle class lisp. Carved wood like that can destroy any film, leaving an audience with nothing to cling to but a concept.
And there’s no embargo on threads. It’s March—- aka Lynch season.
okay, I’ll bite. What makes March “Lynch season?”
I’ve seen Surveillance and thought it was quite good. A bit long-winded at the middle but both the intro and ending was good. I think that Jennifer definitely has borrowed a couple of things from dear old dad, but I’m from now on curious to see what she is going to do next. Regarding Boxing Helena I can say that I have very vague memories but from what I recall it didn’t do anything for me.
March is Lynch season because it’s early springtime and there’s a surreal tension between those things already existing in the world (some of which is ancient, our souls darkening to it) and all that newborn symphony of bright sunlight and strolling couples and fresh flowers springing up from the ground, and the worms writhing happily in the soft damp earth… March—- a car crash between innocence and rebirth and dark winter.
I actually like Boxing Helena, but that’s because I’m a freak. I do think Jennifer Lynch tried to cash in on her father’s freak-style, though, and not try and find her own style, say, the way Sophia Coppola has. I’m interested in checking out her new film, though. Perhaps that’s changed.
No, Boxing Helena was a bad film. I’m twisted too but that was a good concept ruinedly executed.
Jennifer Lynch might have been 22-23 when she made the film, and was entrusted with the responsibility having no feature credits before.
Looking back at it, it’s got a lot of good imagery in it (a link to Lynch) but the story was beyond the capabilities of the young director. Someone with more experience would have made it palatable.
Surveillance is actually pretty good. Stop looking for more into it that was necessary, boxing helena is not a very good film but admirable in what it tried to do.
I didn’t care for Boxing Helena when it was released. Don’t remember it all that well tho. Surveillance I thought pretty bad. It looks good but I found the acting bad and I knew where the film was going to end after the first 15 minutes.
Girl bites pen
So since there appears to be an embargo on David Lynch threads, let’s move on to the offspring.
I know next to nothing about J Lynch’s work except that she made Boxing Helena in 1993 and was virtually driven into hiding after it was villified. She’s got this new one called ‘Surveillance’ coming out that’s apparently OK.
Any thoughts on why Boxing Helena was so disastrous if you’ve seen it?